NASHVILLE – Thomas K. Weir, 65, of Celina, Tennessee, the majority owner of Oakley Pharmacy, doing business as Dale Hollow Pharmacy and Clay County Xpress Pharmacy, was sentenced June 18, 2026, to 24 months in federal prison, ordered to pay $1,419,974 in restitution to Medicare and TennCare, and required to forfeit the pharmacy building and warehouse used in the scheme for his role in a years-long conspiracy to unlawfully dispense controlled substances and defraud federal and state health care programs, announced United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee.U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger imposed the sentence.Weir's sentence concludes the criminal prosecution of all four defendants charged in the conspiracy."The defendants turned trusted community pharmacies into engines for opioid distribution and health care fraud," said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. "Rather than serving patients and protecting public health, they ignored clear warning signs, fueled the unlawful distribution of dangerous drugs, and billed taxpayer-funded health care programs for the privilege. Today's sentence, along with the forfeiture of the property used to facilitate these crimes, demonstrates that those who choose profit over patient safety will be held accountable."Weir previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute.Co-defendants William L. Donaldson, 65, former owner and pharmacist of Dale Hollow Pharmacy; Pamela Spivey, 55, co-owner of Xpress Pharmacy; and Charles Robert "Bobby" Oakley, 74, of Manchester, Tennessee, a minority owner of Dale Hollow Pharmacy, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the scheme. Donaldson was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Oakley and Spivey were each sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay criminal restitution.According to court records, the conspiracy operated for approximately five years and involved the unlawful dispensing of controlled substances and the submission of fraudulent claims to Medicare and TennCare.Between 2014 and 2019, the conspirators operated Dale Hollow Pharmacy and Xpress Pharmacy in Celina, Tennessee, as sources of controlled substances for patients despite numerous red flags indicating abuse, diversion, and prescriptions issued outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. Patients routinely traveled long distances, often in groups, to obtain controlled substances from the pharmacies.In May and June 2016, Drug Enforcement Administration diversion investigators inspected Dale Hollow Pharmacy. The following year, Weir and others entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the DEA addressing violations of federal regulations governing the dispensing of controlled substances. Despite that agreement, dispensing practices continued, and the volume of controlled substances dispensed by both pharmacies increased, along with clear signs of abuse and diversion.The conspirators also submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare Part D plans and TennCare for controlled substances dispensed to beneficiaries, including medically unnecessary combinations of highly abused drugs. To increase prescription volume, the conspirators engaged in a kickback scheme that included paying patient co-payments, distributing a fictitious currency known as "Monkey Bucks" that could be redeemed for cash, and paying patients cash to fill prescriptions that were subsequently billed to Medicare and TennCare.“Today’s sentencing represents another important step in our ongoing efforts to combat health care fraud and opioid abuse,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General…
Source: U.S. Department of Justice